Message development, social media strategies, and speaker/media training for individuals and groups, so you don't get caught unprepared, speechless or without a message. I'm Washington, DC-based communications consultant Denise Graveline. Want to pick my brain or get a sense of how I work? Do it here.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Twitter's prompting the latest round of social-media policy development at the nation's major newspapers, with a lot of buzz surrounding the Wall Street Journal's restrictive policy, as well as others from the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, among many others. NiemanLabs has a great summary post that includes links to the major newspapers' policies, as well as discussions about why they are--or are not--effective. (To their credit, some newspaper editors are questioning why reporters can't be trusted in 140 character posts when they're trusted to write whole articles.) Newspapers, just like every other corporate entity, are struggling with how to guide their employees' use of social media options for work purposes. I'd expect many of these policies to change, but for now, they offer you a mixed landscape that can help guide your interactions and expectations of reporters in the social-media playground. A related question: Should news organizations' social policies guide your organization's policies? Maybe not. While they're still in flux, take them under advisement, keeping in mind that traditional media's rules don't fit easily in this new environment. As a result, the more restrictive policies, to my eyes, attempt to preserve the old milieu--not the best approach to adapting to new options. UPDATE: Check out Cision's list of journalists on Twitter to find and follow reporters of interest to you.